Plane travel with your baby. It’s plain simple!
Calling all parents! There is absolutely no reason why, just because you have a baby, your wings are clipped. You can still hop on a plane and fly anywhere you want. Sure, travelling with a baby or toddler might involve a little extra planning, but just follow our step-by-step guide to plain easy plane travel, and up, up and away you go!
Book smart
Your perfect plane journey starts way before you’ve stepped outside your door. Knowing what to look for when you’re booking flights can make all the difference to enjoying your plane journey with your little one.
Not always possible, but if you can plan and book well ahead, you’re more likely to be able to pick and choose and get the best flights, times and seats for travelling with babies and toddlers. And while there are occasionally bargains to be snapped up at the 11th hour, last-minute deals are often not as good as you might think.
Before you book, check the airline rules for travelling with babies. Some have a minimum age for newborns – often 2 weeks, sometimes as young as 7 days. Do they charge extra for baby gear, buggies or car seats? Do you have to check them in, or can you carry them on board?
There’s nothing worse that arriving somewhere bleary-eyed at silly o’clock in the morning. And try and avoid flying during your baby’s normal sleep times, too. All that noise and excitement could keep them awake when they’d normally be napping. And we all know how grizzly a sleep-deprived little bear can be!
Unless you’re heading for a distant long-haul destination, always try and book a direct flight. It’ll keep the journey time shorter and avoid the hassle of transferring you, baby, buggy and all the rest of the stuff you’re carrying mid-journey. Plus, it’s the change in air pressure during landing that causes discomfort to sensitive baby ears, so with just one you’ll be minimising the risk. And the crying.
If you’re travelling long distance and need a stopover, make it long enough to relax and take a break before getting back on board. Nobody loves that frantic dash to the gate loaded with their onboard luggage let alone with a baby or toddler in tow! 2-3 hours gives you time to change a nappy, grab some non-airplane food or give a restless roamer some run-around time. Even better, if you can, make it an overnight stay.
If your little one is still little enough to sit on your lap, it’s so tempting to take up that ‘under two, child flies free’ offer. Don’t, if you can possibly afford it! Giving them their own seat is safer, and certainly more relaxing for all of you, especially on a long-haul flight. Your arms will soon get tired of cradling your baby, it makes mealtimes tricky and wrestling an active toddler is no fun!
Plus it means that you can use a harness or your baby can travel strapped into their own car seat, definitely the safest way for your smallest passenger to travel. (And you can pop in an Aeromoov Airliner to keep them cool and dry during the flight, too.)
Booking that extra seat is going to stretch the budget. But be a savvy shopper and you may be able to make your money – and you – go further. There’s no need to pay full fare if you look around. Travel outside peak holiday season and avoid weekends if you can. Use sites like Kayak, SkyScanner and Expedia, as well as calendar view booking systems to search and find the cheapest options available.
If you’re flexible on dates or even destinations, you can sometimes save a packet. Look for great value all-in packages that bundle together flight, hotel and car hire. Get those fingers working!
Space is like gold dust when you’re travelling with a baby. The up-front bulkhead seats in a plane usually have more room and, on an international flight, you may even get a bassinet supplied.
The emergency exit seats, while offering more legroom, will be off limits to any child under a certain age.
You could try the ‘book 2 outer seats in a row of 3’ trick. If the flight doesn’t fill up, there’s every chance the middle seat will stay free. And if it doesn’t, the occupier will always be happy to swap rather than be ‘piggy in the middle’ between you!
Before you go
Depending on where you’re starting from and where you’re heading, you might need to get a few important things in place before you set out. Use our checklist to make sure you’ve covered all bases when travelling with your baby.
Vaccinations.
Do you need them? Unlikely unless you’re travelling to the tropics but check with your healthcare professional if you’re not sure.
Passport.
Does you baby need its own passport for the destination you’re travelling to? If you live in the UK, for instance, your newborn needs a passport to travel abroad right from day one.
Insurance.
Do you need travel insurance? Or do you need to update existing insurance to cover your new arrival?
Health check.
Just before you go, it’s worth asking your health professional to check your baby for any ear infections that might cause discomfort during a flight, and to recommend baby-safe pain relief you can have handy – especially if they’re teething.
What to pack
Make a list – it’s the only way. You may have to sacrifice a carry-on bag of your own to squeeze all that baby gear onto the flight, but better that than leave something vital behind!
Carry-on and keep calm
First off, find the perfect carry-on bag. Easy to lift or to roll, not too large or too heavy for the airline’s size and weight rules. But big enough to take a few extra supplies so you’re ready for unexpected delays or missed connections.
A carry-on bag checklist:
Diapers and changing pad.
A baby blanket or wrap. (Handy if you’re breast feeding, or it gets chilly.)
A bib and complete change of clothes for baby, just in case. You might want an extra set for you, too.
Extra layers. Dressing in layers is the way to go as you never know how hot or cold it might get on board. And you could be landing just as it gets chilly in the evening or blisteringly hot at midday.
An AeroMoov Airliner for your car seat if you’re using one on the flight. (Handy for a hire car seat, too.)
Plenty of baby food, snacks and formula. (Remember there are volume restrictions on taking liquids through security.)
Pre-measured powdered formula if you use it.
Wet wipes.
Empty plastic bags for used wipes or dirty diapers.
An extra dummy or baby bottle.
Nice quiet toys, games and books that won't disturb other passengers. Lots!
A small medical kit with bandages and non-liquid antiseptic
Hand cleaning gel.
Any baby medicines, sealed in a separate ziplock bag so you can find them easily. (Never check in medication that you can’t buy where you’re going.)
A check-in bag checklist:
Clothes, favourite toys, diapers, formula and baby food…
A buggy – you may not need to check this in. You might be able to take it onboard so it’s ready and waiting on the runway as soon as you get off the plane. Check your airline’s rules and regs before you set off.
Your own travel cot. Read on to find out why!
If you’re planning to use the travel cot from the hotel or the holiday home, it’s a good idea to at least take your own mattress cover with you – such as the AeroSleep mattress protector .
An AeroMoov air layer to keep your little one cool and fresh – especially if you’re heading somewhere hot. It’s so light and easy to slip into a case. Use it in your buggy or as a hygiene layer in your hire car child seat. No over-heated sweaty baby where you’re going!
Why take a travel cot?
If you’re thinking taking your own cot is home from home gone mad, there are very good reasons why, even if your hotel or holiday accommodation offers you one you can use, your own travel cot is well worth the weight and the space on the plane.
Number one, if you pick the right one, like the AeroMoov Instant Travel Cot, it doesn’t take up much space at all. Compact and lightweight at only 5kg, just throw the strap over your shoulder and it’s super-easy to carry through the airport and to check in.
Are you really and truly happy about your child sleeping in a cot that so many other babies have slept in, snuffled in and maybe even worse? We thought not!
Your baby knows its own travel cot. It’s a familiar environment where they know they’re safe, so they’re going to sleep better from the very first night. Holiday happiness all round!
The AeroMoov Instant Travel Cot isn’t just a safe sleep space at night, it’s also a safe space to play during the day. Even outside – on the beach, in a park or by the pool – The waterproof base makes sure of that.
It pops up in 2 seconds, packs away almost as fast. Perfect for hotel hopping or switching from indoors to out. You really can take it anywhere, anytime.
Optional extras like a UV50+ sunshade and clip-on mosquito net mean you really can go anywhere, anytime.
At the airport
Yay! You’re at the airport and the adventure really is about to begin. After you get through the check in and the security queue and the walk to the gate… But plan ahead and make the time at the airport the best possible start to your travels.
Get there early.
Especially when flying with a baby or toddler, it’s a good idea to plan to arrive as early as you can. You never know what might hold you up on the way, and if you’re an early bird you have a better chance of beating the queues once you’re there.Tell check in you have a baby on board.
When you check-in, tell the attendant that you are traveling with a baby and if you have one, a buggy or car seat so that they can tell you what you need to do to sail through smoothly.Check in as much as you can.
If you want to travel light through the airport, check in as many pieces of luggage as you can. You may want the convenience of taking your buggy all the way to the gate, but then again you might not want to be wrestling with it while you go through security. The more you have to carry, the more stressful it can be.Airport security.
Even babies need to go through the body scanner or walk-through metal detector. If they’re too tiny to walk, they can be carried through. But they’ll have to come out of the buggy or pushchair while it goes through the luggage X-ray.Just before you board.
Just before boarding, change your baby's nappy but avoid breastfeeding or bottle-feeding. Your little one might just fall asleep straight after, then wake up just as you’re doing the seat finder shuffle and struggling with overhead luggage lockers. Better to wait until you're settled in your seat and then start feeding once things have calmed down.
During the flight
Baby’s ears are extremely sensitive to the changes in air pressure during take-off and landing. Obviously, they’re too young for grown-up tricks like boiled sweets or holding their noses and blowing. But you can ease the pain by breast-feeding or using a bottle, sippy cup or pacifier to get them sucking and swallowing.
Forget your glossy magazine, holiday read or the in-flight movie. Unless it’s a family friendly one! This time it’s all about entertaining your smallest passenger and keeping them happy throughout the flight. Make sure you pack plenty of books, games and toys you know they’ll enjoy. And even if you’re not a fan of screen time, now could be the time to let your tech savvy toddler loose on a smart device for as long as they want.
The simplest everyday childcare tasks can be a challenge on a crowded, cramped plane. Like finding a big enough space to change a nappy, or heating a bottle for a feed. Flight attendants can often be really helpful, letting you use their jump seat or floor space for changes and heating bottles in the galley. Always check the temperature, though, as the galley systems are designed to get food super-hot.
Flying at altitude can cause dehydration – and it happens in babies faster than adults. So make sure your little one gets plenty of fluids during the flight. Breast or bottle feed your baby, but avoid fizzy drinks for your toddler. Water is always best.
The pandemic may be over, but one thing it’s done is make us all aware of how easy it is to pick up germs. Especially in crowded spaces like planes. True, high-efficiency particulate (HEPA) filters remove 99 percent of bacteria and viruses from the cabin. But these air filtration systems, while effective, only operate while the plane is in the air. You might want to think about masking up the family, even if it’s just while you’re on the ground, and travelling armed with anti-bacterial wipes for armrests, tabletops and door handles.
We know, it’s easy to say, and sometimes hard to do! Even the sunniest baby can turn cranky in a noisy, unfamiliar place. Don’t worry about the tuts and grumbles from unfriendly fellow passengers. Once a upon a time, we were all babies and many of us have been parents! Don’t be too embarrassed or flustered to reach out. Sometimes an apology, or simply letting them know you’re aware, can turn them into sympathetic helpers!
Why rush? Let everyone else wrestle bags out of lockers and get crushed in the scramble to be first off. Sit tight until things calm down and you can exit at leisure.
You’ve arrived!
You made it! You got to the airport, through the airport and on the plane. You survived the flight and it’s time for the fun to begin. And if you packed your AeroMoov travel kit, it starts straightaway!
If you’ve got a hire car and child seat waiting for you, just whip out your AeroMoov Airliner and keep your little one cool, dry and protected from the get-go. And once you get to your room, it takes just 2 seconds for your AeroMoov Instant Travel Cot to be up and ready for your little one to sleep, rest or play.
Happy travels!
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